2012 Study Abroad Grants

Study Abroad Grants help undergraduates, whether members or nonmembers, who seek nowledge and experience by venturing afield.
This year, 367 applicants competed for 50 $1,000
grants, two named. Including 2012, 458 students
have earned Study Abroad Grants totaling $458,000
since the program began in 2001.

Fantasy career: Fine carpentry
Favorite author: Charles de Lint
Role model: My father. He is so
loving, honest, strong, and
responsible. And he likes to
laugh.

Christina Belge
Georgia Southern
University
Senior, public
relations major

Study abroad: A month in
Botswana, South Africa,
exploring environmental history
Previous internship: For U.S. Rep.
John Barrow of Georgia

Career objective: Social policy
expert at a governmental agency

Fantasy career: President of the
United States
Satisfying community service:
Development and Education
Programme for Daughters and
Communities, a non-governmental
organization in Thailand fighting
sex trafficking
Favorite book:In Cold Blood by
Truman Capote

Mathias
Bellaiche
University of
Arkansas-Fayetteville*

Junior, majoring in biophysics
and biophysical chemistry
Study abroad: Academic year at
Girton College, University of
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Fantasy career: Pediatric
neurosurgeon at St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital
Favorite author: Kurt Vonnegut

Study abroad: Two weeks at
University of Ghana in Accra
and five weeks of fieldwork at a
village school

Favorite book:The Screwtape
Lettersby C. S. Lewis

During her two-week study abroad at University of Tampere, Finland, last spring, Raven Kapphahn toured nearby Pispala, among the country’s most scenic city districts.

Selfless Outreach

By Ashley Barnas

Raven Kapphahn intends to become a global social worker aiding women, children,and families.

That’s one reason the junior
sociology major at California State
University, Fresno spent two weeks
last spring in Tampere, Finland, partly on a Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad
Grant, visiting a daycare center, a
substance abuse clinic, hospitals,
and other facilities providing social services.

“My school offers courses aboutsociety, culture, and families that Ihave taken, but you can learn only somuch from a book, lecture, or movie,”Kapphahn explained via email. “Theknowledge and experience I need tobe a global social worker can’t be at-tained merely in the classroom butmust also include traveling to and liv-ing in different societies and culturesand witnessing social problems andsolutions firsthand.”Such perspective is why Kapphahnjourneyed to Accra, Ghana, the sum-mer after freshman year: to investigatesocial services in the region. Similarly,she is at a language institute inAmman, Jordan, for the 2012-13academic year through a BorenScholarship from the NationalSecurity Education Program.

Kapphahn credits her parents forsuch expansiveness. She was adopt-ed at age 3 after being rescued byChild Protective Services as a “fail-ure to thrive” (undernourished)baby. Her father, a carpenter for afence company, and mother, a wait-ress, retired shortly afterwards todevote themselves to Kapphahn andtwo other adopted siblings — plusmore than 100 foster children in res-idence for a night to a year — afterrearing seven biological children.